ATI Straton - What cons these fixtures have?

thejacgues · Oct 22, 2022

Hey,

I am wondering if anybody here's using ATI Stratons and can share what disadvantages these fixtures have after at least a few weeks of use.

nezw0001 · Oct 22, 2022

I have four over my 450G. They have been set up for 8 months or so. I LOVE them! I switched from MH to the stratons. They are great and provide excellent PAR to the bottom of my tank. Nice even light. Has reduced my tank temp 2 degrees. All SPS, LPS and softies are extremely happy. The stratons are very slim and have nice aesthetic appeal. Additionally they do not have fans so they are resistant to salt infiltration and very quiet. LOVE THEM!

thejacgues · Oct 23, 2022

@nezw0001 Nice. Do you run them on 100%? Can you show me your tank, please?
I heard about two cons of Straton - blue to whites ratio and weak shimmering effect. Whats your opinion on that?

beesnreefs · Oct 23, 2022

I run three Stratons on my 6-foot tank. Much like @nezw0001 i absolutely love them! Best lights I’ve ever had.

If I had to list cons, I’d say some might be:

Mounting options are limited. I used the included ceiling hangers. I absolutely love the final look but it was a challenge getting three lights hung and lined up nicely.
No phone app. The UI is nice but you have to either connect directly to the lights with an Ethernet cable or set up a private network for them to access via local WiFi.
If you’re a deep-blue Radion-type light person you may be disappointed with the blues on these lights. They are much better full spectrum than “hardcore blue”
If you run heavy flow you’ll get a nice, albeit subtle, shimmer. Otherwise these are not going to come close to a Kessil shimmer

All that said I still love them. No regrets at all. Coloration, shimmer, spread, flexibility, PAR…all fantastic oh my book.

This was yesterday morning during the ramp up period (I have it on the blue program for the first hour and a half of the day, ramping up to the SPS/LPS program which is more full spectrum):

And a look at the lights and mounting from the day we set everything up:

Naturalreef · Oct 23, 2022

I’m also a BIG fan of my Straton! I currently have one running a Lagoon 25. I came from the Radion’s and while I love my blues, the Staton deep water presetting is “beautiful”. Has a deep blue sunrise and sunset, with just enough white. First pic is to show, you won’t be missing blue with this fixture. Has plenty of pop imo.

Yes, mounting options are slim, but I love how it looks hanging from the ceiling.

App is a little clunky, but once you set it, you are happy.

Love how sleek it is. As someone said, MacBook sexy. No fans is a huge plus.

Review on bulkreefsupply(believe it was hydor on here) commented that his coral all reacted favorably almost instantly. I have to agree. The wide diffused light was a instant hit with all my coral.

nezw0001 · Oct 23, 2022

I think the blue/white balance is perfect. I do run 100% as my tank is pretty deep 30" with them mounted about 10" off the water. The shimmer is nice, not disco ball like. They are on night mode, ill take some pictures tomorrow at 100%

encrustingacro · Oct 23, 2022

Never had one but I would say a con is that it is pretty expensive.

DJF · Oct 23, 2022

+1 to the straton love club. Had 3 over my 6’ tank. Have 6 planned over my upgrade (96x36x26). Switched from t5 led hybrid. They run whiter than radions. No cons- price is on “par” with radions that cover the same area. (Based on 1 equaling a Xr30 & xr15)

thejacgues · Oct 23, 2022

encrustingacro said:
Never had one but I would say a con is that it is pretty expensive.

Well, I'd you consider it's specs like PAR per dollar, it actually has a decent ratio. If you.live in Europe like me, I would even say it's relatively cheap in comparison to Radions etc. Meanwhile it should outperform majority of lamps on the market. That's a beast crested to grow SPS.

Hurricane Aquatics · Oct 24, 2022

I have a practically new Straton that I'm selling. As far as no app for your phone, that isn't true. You can access the web interface on your phone and change anything you want.

There is plenty of white. Here's a Pic of the mixed mode.

Then full Whiting

And it will get as White as you want!

areefer01 · Oct 24, 2022

Price will be the main complaint.
Recent upgrade would be the second complaint. Although not as important or high as the first being cost.
Third would be that the upgrade, see 2nd point above, is not released in the US yet.

Cost is subjective and each hobbyist has their own threshold. Shimmer is a moot point. Nothing will be like natural light or like Kessil. Straton is smooth similar to T5's. Both ATI and Philips did a great job with passive cooling and thermal management so in my opinion these more or less negate anything else. Also rumor has it that ATI is running their LED's with lower power to help thermals. So if true expect a longer life out of them than most other kits. Just an opinion based on the rumor. I have nothing to back this up other than it makes sense due to design...

TL: DR - cost. 2nd gen already out. Determine budget, goals, your tanks cycle which means your upgrade cadence, mounting, and go from there. Everything more or less points that they are quality products.

Edit: I should note 1) that I do not own them and 2) this is what I've summarized after seeing them in person and tests by fellow hobbyist. Just my take / opinion on what a pro/con would be.

nezw0001 · Oct 24, 2022

here's my tank during the daylight. I don't have great photography skills and the color looks bluer than it really is.

beesnreefs · Oct 24, 2022

Hurricane Aquatics said:
I have a practically new Straton that I'm selling. As far as no app for your phone, that isn't true. You can access the web interface on your phone and change anything you want.

There is plenty of white. Here's a Pic of the mixed mode.

Then full Whiting

And it will get as White as you want!

I’ve been scared to set up the WiFi so I can access them from my phone. So I’m just connecting directly with my laptop to make changes…haha

Curious, why are you selling yours?

Hurricane Aquatics · Oct 24, 2022

Hey Beesnreefs,

I decided to build a different tank and start from the ground up. I have all kinds of lights that I've used and some I haven't. I have Radions, ATI T5s, Reef Brite Metal Halides, Kessil, you name it. I'm a light junkie lol.

The Straton has a very T5 flat look. It actually looks great, but it's not my thing. I like some shimmer. One of my first LEDs back in 2011 was a Kessil. I've been hooked on that look for a long time.

I'm not using Kessil on my new build, but I'll post pics of it when I'm ready.

The ATI Straton has more LEDs in the UV spectrum than any fixture out there. Also in other spectrums. It's a great light that gets some bad press because people can't afford it. If they can't afford something, they will say it's bad and doesn't work, even though they've never had one.

Oh and wifi, it's terribly easy to set up. So don't be afraid of that. The new firmware has made that much easier.

beesnreefs · Oct 24, 2022

Hurricane Aquatics said:
Hey Beesnreefs,

I decided to build a different tank and start from the ground up. I have all kinds of lights that I've used and some I haven't. I have Radions, ATI T5s, Reef Brite Metal Halides, Kessil, you name it. I'm a light junkie lol.

The Straton has a very T5 flat look. It actually looks great, but it's not my thing. I like some shimmer. One of my first LEDs back in 2011 was a Kessil. I've been hooked on that look for a long time.

I'm not using Kessil on my new build, but I'll post pics of it when I'm ready.

The ATI Straton has more LEDs in the UV spectrum than any fixture out there. Also in other spectrums. It's a great light that gets some bad press because people can't afford it. If they can't afford something, they will say it's bad and doesn't work, even though they've never had one.

Oh and wifi, it's terribly easy to set up. So don't be afraid of that. The new firmware has made that much easier.

Thanks for the detailed response. I’m excited to See how your new build turns out!

And you’ve convinced me to add setting up the WiFi to my weekend list

Hurricane Aquatics · Oct 24, 2022

beesnreefs said:
Thanks for the detailed response. I’m excited to See how your new build turns out!

And you’ve convinced me to add setting up the WiFi to my weekend list

Here's a sneak peek, I still have many things to finish and my floor is full lol. I have some wire work to do, dosers to install, etc. I'm running one Illumagic Blaze X 90 right now with 4 SPS frags, tanks had water in it about 3 weeks, completely fresh build with new rock, etc. I have a second Illumagic Blaze ordered and am going to run duals. Did I tell you I like overkill? Haha. Still need to fill with corals, etc. I'll post in a couple of weeks when it's done.

beesnreefs · Oct 24, 2022

Hurricane Aquatics said:
Here's a sneak peek, I still have many things to finish and my floor is full lol. I have some wire work to do, dosers to install, etc. I'm running one Illumagic Blaze X 90 right now with 4 SPS frags, tanks had water in it about 3 weeks, completely fresh build with new rock, etc. I have a second Illumagic Blaze ordered and am going to run duals. Did I tell you I like overkill? Haha. Still need to fill with corals, etc. I'll post in a couple of weeks when it's done.

Looks so good! Nice work

ReefLaw · Oct 24, 2022

Straton’s are fantastic lights except for one thing..shimmer and aesthetic of the tank. I sold mine and switched to kessil Ap9xs with reef brite strips and love the look of the tank.

Naturalreef · Oct 24, 2022

Hurricane Aquatics said:
Hey Beesnreefs,

I decided to build a different tank and start from the ground up. I have all kinds of lights that I've used and some I haven't. I have Radions, ATI T5s, Reef Brite Metal Halides, Kessil, you name it. I'm a light junkie lol.

The Straton has a very T5 flat look. It actually looks great, but it's not my thing. I like some shimmer. One of my first LEDs back in 2011 was a Kessil. I've been hooked on that look for a long time.

I'm not using Kessil on my new build, but I'll post pics of it when I'm ready.

The ATI Straton has more LEDs in the UV spectrum than any fixture out there. Also in other spectrums. It's a great light that gets some bad press because people can't afford it. If they can't afford something, they will say it's bad and doesn't work, even though they've never had one.

Oh and wifi, it's terribly easy to set up. So don't be afraid of that. The new firmware has made that much easier.

I didn’t see the new firmware on ATI North America ? I found a new version for straton version 2 it seems on the German site 2022.3. Can the original straton use this firmware ? Thank you hurricane!